A dead raccoon found on Smith Lane in Eastham on Sunday has tested positive for rabies, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced Friday.

The United States Department of Agriculture's Cape Cod Rabies Program collected the dead animal and gave it to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be tested. It tested positive on Wednesday, the department said in a statement.

"Anyone who may have interacted with this raccoon should immediately reach out to DPH or the Eastham Department of Health and Environment to ensure their health and safety," State Epidemiologist Dr. Catherine Brown said in the statement. "Given the fatal nature of rabies, we want to be sure that any affected residents have access to post-exposure prophylaxis to protect themselves."

Anyone who had contact with the raccoon is advised to call the Division of Epidemiology at 617-983-6800 for a risk assessment to determine if an exposure to rabies occurred. Health officials noted that this raccoon is easily identified because of the "large number of porcupine quills embedded in it."

A fatal but preventable disease, rabies is carried in the saliva of infected animals, health officials said. After biting another animal or a human, the saliva is introduced into the open wound.

Exposed individuals should receive medical care, specifically wound care and post-exposure prophylaxis to prevent the disease to spread, the statement read. PEP is comprised of a dose of rabies immune globulin and four or five rabies vaccines over a two-week period.

Animals in Massachusetts that are likely to carry rabies include raccoons, bats, skunks, foxes and woodchucks. The only domesticated animals frequently found to be rabid due to lower vaccination rates, compared to dogs, are cats.

The Department of Public Health advised the following tips for people to keep themselves and their pets safe: